Finding Her Own Way
by Julie Ann Pope
Summary: Kate/Osgood eventual femslash. The head of Scientific Research and her assistant get to know each other on a deeper level.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I can't believe there hasn't been any Osgood/Kate femslash fics yet! No spoilers, this is set just before Day of the Doctor but after The Power of Three.

* * *

><p>Kate Lethbridge-Stewart took off her reading glasses and set them on her desk. She then ran her palms over her eyes in an attempt to soothe their strain and quell the tears that had formed behind them. It was all in vain as her lip trembled, her heart rate increased and the urge to cry overwhelmed her. She sat back in her chair and let the sadness envelop her, finally allowing those tears to fall. What felt like only seconds later there was a knock at her door and Osgood poked her head through.<p>

"I've got those test results you wanted…oh, sorry. I'll come back another time." The younger woman had started to back out of the room, embarrassed by seeing her boss in such an emotional state. Kate sniffed; loud and undignified for such a connected, intelligent scientist and grabbed a tissue to dry her face.

"There's no need, come and take a seat." Osgood did as requested and looked at her boss once she was sat facing her.

"Are you alright?" Kate gave the brunette a rueful smile. "No, sorry. Shouldn't have asked." That earned a chuckle from Kate.

"It's fine, otherwise I wouldn't have said to come in." She paused and looked at her assistant. "It's the anniversary of my father's death. I've been avoiding thinking about it all day but it's not easy when you're surrounded by everything that he worked so hard for." Gordy had posted a tribute to his grandfather on his Facebook account that had been very touching but emotional for Kate to read. She hadn't spoken to her son in a while and was waiting for a reply to a text she had sent earlier in the day. Once he'd finished studying at University in Cardiff he had found a job and chosen to stay. Although he had followed in his mother's and grandfather's scientific footsteps, his field was more to do with medical research and the development of vaccines.

"Were you close?" Osgood had heard many things about Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, it was difficult not to as he had been the previous incumbent of the title 'head of scientific research' and one of UNIT's founders. She was of course aware of his relation to her boss but that had been a fairly recent development as Kate had wanted to be judged on her own merits.

"Now there's a question with a very long answer."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"You're not. I already know that most people here are curious about my family history. I'd be surprised if you weren't too."

"I'm not, well I am but not in a nosy way. If you know what I mean?" That earned another chuckle from Kate.

"Actually, I do know what you mean." There was a moment's silence as Kate considered her next words. "It's getting late, have you eaten?"

"Not since lunch, why?"

"What do you fancy; Italian, Chinese, Indian or something else?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking you out to dinner, unless you have other plans tonight?"

"No; but why would you want to…with me?"

"Apart from the fact that I don't want to be alone, perhaps it's long overdue? I barely know anything about you and you can ask me whatever you like, no holds barred." Osgood couldn't honestly say that she wasn't silently screaming in joy at being chosen by her beautiful boss but at the same time she was worried that she'd screw up and do something embarrassing. She must have been thinking in silence too long as Kate seemed to deflate and stood up from her desk. "It's alright, it's not compulsory. You'll still have a job tomorrow." She tried to joke but it fell a bit flat.

"Oh no, it's not that…of course I'd like to have dinner with you, I'd like nothing more. I'm just not very interesting." Osgood had spent most of her life being 'the other one' in comparison to her prettier, conventional, more popular younger sister.

"Now I'm sure that's not true. Okay then, what'll it be?"

"Chinese?"

"Excellent choice, I know a great dim sum place just around the corner at St Katharine's Dock."

* * *

><p>Her laughter was surprisingly infectious; surprising only because Kate had always suspected the younger woman was born older than her years and far more serious than anyone of her age ought to be. She'd been reluctant to become sociable with her colleagues when she first began working for UNIT, preferring to work through lunch or stay late into the evening when they went out for drinks. Kate had never held it against her and assumed Osgood's reasons where something similar to her own for not disclosing her family connection. The younger woman had a cracking sense of humour, a wealth of science related jokes at her disposal and she had great comic timing. Kate hadn't laughed so much in a long time. Despite her protests, Osgood was infinitely interesting; she had a certificate in sushi making, learnt to play the piano to grade five and was bilingual in English and German. In return Kate gave the younger woman a potted history of her parent's failed marriage due to her dad secretly working for UNIT and an extra marital affair. She explained that she fell pregnant with her son by accident and his father left when she refused to marry him, leaving her to bring up Gordy alone on a house boat. She'd kept Gordon's existence from her father until he was five as they had fallen out years before. Despite the subject matter, it was a wonderful evening and both women felt that a connection had been forged between them. They argued over who paid for their meal and Osgood got her way by going Dutch.<p>

"How are you getting home?" Kate asked her companion as they walked out of the restaurant.

"Tube to Mile End. How about you?" It was a lovely cool and dry evening so they walked slowly under the bridge and around the perimeter of The Tower of London, along with the rest of the general public.

"Same. Underground I mean, to High Street Kensington."

"Really? I didn't expect you to commute." Osgood sounded surprisingly surprised at that piece of information.

"You didn't think I lived at The Tower did you? I know I work some long days but I do have a home to go to."

"No, I just didn't picture you on the underground. I thought you'd drive in a sleek black hummer full of gadgets or something." Osgood really couldn't see Kate slumming it every morning and evening with the rest of London's commuters, it didn't seem to fit with her clear English accent and status at UNIT.

"I'm not Jack Harkness either! Blimey, I do seem to give out completely the wrong impression of myself don't I?"

"It's not your fault, I shouldn't assume things about people. I suppose I just felt intimidated by you to have the courage to ask. You're my boss but you're also an absolute legend, you have met The Doctor after all."

"I hope I'm not quite so scary now?" They came to a stop outside Tower Hill station and Osgood took a moment to study the blonde. _*Not scary, never was really. I think I like you more than I should. After tonight, I definitely like you more than I should*_

"Nah, more pussycat than tiger I'd say." They both chuckled at the inside joke, a fitting way to end the milestone day and headed inside past the ticket barriers.

"Right, so this is where we separate." Kate leaned in and gave Osgood a peck on the cheek. "Goodnight, safe journey home. Text me when you get there." Osgood almost felt like replying 'yes mum' but thought better of it. Instead, she couldn't help herself as she returned the kiss and asked her boss to do the same. They each turned towards their respective platforms and made their way down the stairs and along them. Kate bit her lip and tried to stop herself from grinning like an idiot. She felt like she was fifteen again with her first crush. Then they had to contend with that awkward moment where they were stood on opposite platforms looking at each other but unable to hear or communicate verbally. Kate felt the heat rise in her cheeks and her heart thumped wildly with the adrenaline coursing through her. She pulled out her phone and sent Osgood a text.

'_Thanks for a really lovely evening, I had a great time x'_ the younger woman looked up from her own phone and grinned. She mouthed '_me too_' and pointed up the track from where her train would be coming. Kate understood that to mean the train would arrive shortly and set about preparing another text.

'_I think you're amazing. Perhaps we could…_' But the train arrived before she could finish and she concentrated on watching Osgood get on board. They found each other and Kate waved her colleague off enthusiastically as the train headed off into the distance. She looked back at her phone and deleted the draft text as she shook her head. It was probably just as well the train had arrived before she could send it; it wasn't a good idea to get emotionally attached to her colleague.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day the sun shone brightly over London, showing off Tower Bridge and the city skyline in all its glory. Osgood had breezed into her lab with a smile on her face, said hello to Malcolm and McGillop who were left with stunned expressions and made herself a nice cup of tea before logging onto her computer. She'd left some tests running overnight that she needed to check on and record the results as soon as possible. McGillop raised his eyebrows at Malcolm who simply shrugged in puzzlement. It wasn't that Osgood was unfriendly but she was usually so serious and focused that she barely spoke to her colleagues other than to discuss work, especially first thing in the morning. Malcolm continued to work on the raven that sat in front of him, adjusting some of the fine motor control settings and upgrading the on board weaponry. McGillop had his own office further along the corridor but made it his business to know what was going on in the rest of the Scientific Research department.

Kate had spent the rest of her evening thinking about her father and the painful, wasted years while they hadn't been speaking. She regretted that time so much now, even though they both had their own reasons for it at the time. They had both put a lot of effort into repairing the damage since they were reunited nearly twenty years ago and it meant that Gordy had a positive male influence and role model as he had grown up. And then there was Osgood; a woman with so little confidence in herself yet she was brighter and more intelligent than half of the people that she worked with. Underneath she had such empathy for people and the aliens that they encountered and a charming, attractive personality to match. Kate wasn't stupid, she understood her own feelings well enough and knew that there was an underlying attraction between them which had grown stronger over dinner the night before. It was whether she did something about it that was her next dilemma. She'd only ever had one conversation with her father about relationships; when she'd had a brief affair with Sarah Jane Smith shortly after they'd met while dealing with The Intelligence. The Brigadier hadn't been surprised but he hadn't really understood it either. He'd struggled with Kate's absolute need for independence and forthright feminist thinking even before their quarrel. She had put him in mind of the aforementioned Sarah Jane Smith who was twenty years her senior. After that, Kate hadn't had time for relationships and had instead become embroiled in UNIT and worked her way up the ranks under her father's guidance. There was a nagging thought that she'd wasted so much time already but she was also afraid of not living up to someone else's expectations; she was her father's daughter after all.

* * *

><p>Osgood appeared sometime around mid-morning. She was Kate's assistant but she also had her own projects that she was responsible for. Kate usually let her know when she was needed and had phoned half an hour earlier to request her presence.<p>

"Hi." Osgood greeted her boss nervously and squeezed the inhaler in her lab coat pocket for reassurance.

"Hello." Kate looked up from her computer and smiled, she hoped that it reassured her colleague and didn't betray how nervous she was feeling herself. She gestured to the seat opposite and Osgood made herself comfortable. "I've got a meeting with the MOD this afternoon at two-thirty. It might get a bit contentious because they feel we're encroaching on some of their intelligence work. I'd like you come with me. McGillop has written a report outlining our current projects, obviously not the top secret ones, and he can brief you on its contents. Is that alright?" It wasn't unusual for Kate to have to undertake a bit of damage control with official government departments and for Osgood to join her as back up.

"That's fine with me; I haven't been over there in a while." There was a brief silence and Osgood could feel her lungs burn ever so slightly as her nerves threatened to get the better of her. "I was wondering, it's a nice day... Would you like to have lunch outside, on the bench…together?" Kate felt a little more at ease and smiled widely at the younger woman.

"That would be wonderful. I don't often get a chance to have a proper lunch break but I'll make the effort for you."

"Oh that is marvellous!" Osgood beamed at the older woman, pleased that the previous evening hadn't just been swept under the carpet.

They sat on the bench facing Tower Bridge where Kate could occasionally be found having her lunch, or taking a few moments away from the office. She loved her job and the fact that it was all-consuming but everyone needed a bit of downtime occasionally. She was in the middle of telling a silly tale from somewhere in her past and animatedly waved her hands around to emphasise certain points in the story. The blonde arrived at the punch line and unconsciously rested her hand on top of Osgood's knee as they both doubled over and giggled. It took a matter of seconds for the younger woman to realise where Kate's hand was and she halted her laughter in an attempt to stop herself turning beetroot and having an asthma attack. Kate noticed and followed her colleague's gaze, immediately retracting her hand when she realised.

"Sorry..." Osgood woke herself up from her stupor and shook her head as she smiled shyly up at the older woman. She grabbed Kate's hand, put it back on her knee and entwined their fingers. Kate smiled in relief and Osgood returned it brightly. Something had most definitely changed between them from the day before. Kate squeezed Osgood's hand gently and swallowed to lubricate her suddenly dry throat. "I'm not sure what this is…" The usually confident and assertive Head of Scientific Research found herself well outside of her comfort zone.

"Neither do I but it will be fun finding out, don't you think?" In a surprising contrast, Osgood seemed more at ease with the situation than Kate; all she had needed was confirmation that Kate felt _something_ for her. It wasn't as though she was a complete novice with relationships; there had been a girl at university and a couple since then, although it was true that it had been a while since the last. They looked at each other at length, goofily smiling and took in the weight of the moment.

"Yes, I rather think it will." Kate responded eventually and reached up to brush Osgood's outgrown fringe from her eyes. She started to lean into the younger woman's personal space but was stopped by one of her officers clearing his throat from behind them.


End file.
